By Abayomi Azikiwe
All across the United States millions gathered in large municipalities, suburbs, small towns and rural areas to protest the domestic and foreign policies of the administration of President Donald Trump and his allies within the House of Representatives and the Senate.
These demonstrations included a broad spectrum of political groups and individuals, many of whom had never participated in marches and rallies until recent months.
With the ascendancy of the second non-consecutive Trump administration which has majority MAGA support within the House and Senate, a series of executive orders and legislation passed in recent months represents a full-scale attack on the interests of working, poor and nationally oppressed peoples in the U.S. Thousands of government employees have already lost their jobs due to cutbacks imposed by the recently established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The failure of the Senate to approve the budget proposed by the majority of Republican officials has resulted in yet another government shutdown. This political impasse has caused a severe diminishing of the federal workforce which has already been under siege since the second inauguration of Trump.
Those federal employees considered essential are forced to continue working without receiving paychecks. Other important workers such as air traffic controllers are working their jobs without salaries.
Consequently, there is widespread anger throughout the U.S. due to the policy shifts and the shutting down of the government. Even prior to the government shutdown, the arbitrary layoffs and firing of employees have hampered the capacity of these agencies to function properly.
Nearly one million members of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) have had their collective bargaining rights withdrawn. These policies imposed through executive orders have significantly weakened the ability of the government to function efficiently.
In the Detroit metropolitan area there were several demonstrations held for No Kings Day II on October 18. The largest action took place in the city of Detroit at Roosevelt Park. Thousands gathered outside the old train station where a rally was held.
Later people lined up for a march to the federal building. There were numerous placards, banners and outfits which symbolized the discontent with the MAGA program of anti-immigrant targeting, sexism, racism, anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, attacks on healthcare, education, diversity, equity and inclusion along with other important government programs.
The signs and banners carried by the participants included slogans saying, “I Am Anti Fascist”, in defiance of the attempts to outlaw anti-fascist organizing. Other signs called for the removal of Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance from office.
Numerous signs included slogans calling for the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and other federal law-enforcement agencies which have been deployed to cities around the U.S. In addition, placards read “No Troops on Our Streets” and “No Martial Law.” The Trump administration has embarked upon a recruitment program to bring in thousands more ICE agents. These federal agents are not only targeting people for purported immigration violations they are saying ICE will go after “gangs”, drugs and other crimes.
There were in excess of 100 demonstrations in the state of Michigan from the heavily populated southeast region to the upper peninsula. People gathered outside the State Capitol in Lansing demanding that the legislature and governor stand up to the White House.
Outside the city of Detroit in the suburbs of Oak Park, Ferndale, Livonia and other municipalities, thousands more gathered to decry the growing fascist rule emanating from Washington, D.C. All of these communities are being impacted by the cutbacks on federal programs and the government shutdown.
Reign of Terror in the Cities
Since the spring Trump has ordered the deployment of thousands of ICE, CBP and National Guard units into Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Portland, Chicago and Memphis. Political officials in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland have challenged the deployment of the National Guard in the courts.
In regard to Portland, the federal court issued a temporary restraining order to halt the deployment of National Guard troops. Nonetheless, the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court overturned the initial order saying the White House could send troops into Portland irrespective of the opposition from the governor and city officials.
ABC News said of the current situation:
“Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield decried Monday’s ruling, saying the panel of Ninth Circuit judges ‘has chosen to not hold the president accountable’ and urged the full Ninth Circuit to vacate today’s decision before the illegal deployments can occur. ‘Portland is peaceful. The military has no place in our streets,’ he said in a statement. ‘We will continue to hold the line and fight for Oregon’s sovereignty.’ Attorney General Pam Bondi, meanwhile, celebrated the ruling, saying the appeals court found that the president ‘has the right to deploy the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, where local leaders have failed to keep their citizens safe.’”
Despite this Ninth Circuit Appeals Court ruling, people in Portland remain committed to resisting the deployment of the National Guard. Millions of people have taken to the streets in opposition to the Trump administration but the White House remains committed to imposing its policies for the urban areas.
In light of the recent appeals court decision related to Oregon, the White House is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the National Guard to be sent into Chicago. The city has been subjected to large numbers of ICE agents who are constantly harassing people in the neighborhoods.
An article published by CNN on the legal cases involving the federalization of the National Guard emphasized:
“Trump’s broader campaign to deploy the guard on US soil was buoyed this week when a divided three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit said the president was entitled to deference when making decisions about when such deployments are necessary. The full 9th Circuit is weighing whether to reconsider that decision. Though the case before the Supreme Court is focused on Chicago, the decision will almost certainly spill over into other litigation playing out as Trump seeks to send the National Guard to multiple US cities. In its latest filing, the Department of Justice framed Trump’s decision to send the Guard into Illinois as a response to what it described as a broader national threat.”
In early October, a widely publicized attack by federal agents on an apartment building in the South Shore area of Chicago drew protests from community residents and political officials. Hundreds of people were forced out of their homes, handcuffed and placed into trucks for questioning. Children were separated from adults for interrogation while several people were arrested for alleged offenses most of which had nothing to do with immigration violations.
People have been protesting daily in Chicago against the presence of ICE agents and the threats by Trump to federalize National Guard troops for deployment. The Governor of Illinois and Mayor of Chicago have remained adamant against the federalizing of the National Guard to be sent into the state’s largest city.
Mayor Johnson in a militant speech called upon people in the U.S. to unite and hold a general strike:
“Johnson made the call during a powerful speech heard by thousands of rally participants in the Windy City, highlighting the need for people to put their differences aside and band together for the greater good of going against what he called Trump’s ‘tyranny,’ the ‘ultra-wealthy,’ and corporate greed, according to HuffPost. During his speech, he highlighted past ways in which ancestors came together for one common goal, including the creation of the Underground Railroad, led by Harriet Tubman and the rebellion of Nat Turner. ‘If my ancestors, as slaves, can lead the greatest general strike in the history of this country, taking it to the ultra-rich and big corporations, we can do it too!’ Johnson said, met with thunderous applause. ‘I’m calling on Black people, white people, Brown people, Asian people, immigrants, gay people, from around this country to stand up… We are going to make them pay their fair share in taxes to fund our school, to fund jobs, to fund healthcare, to fund transportation. Democracy will live on because of this generation. Are you ready to take it to the courts and to the streets?’”
Since the courts have not provided the necessary guarantees to protect federal jobs and programs or to halt the illegal deployment of federal agents and National Guard troops into the cities, the only real alternative is for the people to shut down the economy in the U.S. The larger unions already have provisions within their constitutions for the initiation of general strikes.
In New York City on October 21, federal agents began arresting street vendors on Canal Street in Lower Manhattan prompting hundreds of people to resist these attacks. On the same day in Los Angeles, an opponent of deportations was shot by a federal agent in the elbow. Also, a federal agent was wounded by a gunshot which ricocheted from a bullet of another officer.
These incidents will undoubtedly continue and escalate in their severity. Mass mobilizations such as No Kings Day II indicate that the security situation in the U.S. will worsen while the people escalate their resistance to the imposition of austerity and fascism.
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